Baldwin Ode Banjo Serial Numbers

ARCHIVED TOPIC: Help identifying Baldwin ODE Banjo

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j2biggs - Posted - 04/05/2013: 12:55:44

Apr 17, 2019 The serial format should be one of the following: 2SR – xxx 2SR – xxx – G 2SR – xxxx – G 2. Does it have the gear adjustment hole - in the heel? When Baldwin bought ODE, in 1966 - they kept using Chuck's original vendors, to make all of the parts. So, all of the 'ODE' stampings remained on the metal work - right up until the very end. (It would be an 'official' ODE - with a dowelstick, stamped with 'ODE Boulder, Colo.' And a serial number in the 19xx to 21xx range.).

I have a Baldwin ODE Banjo that supposedly has a serial number of 9-77-16. That seems odd to me. Can anyone tell me what it means? Age, value, etc?

mikehalloran - Posted - 04/05/2013: 13:02:04

Pictures with the serial number will get you a correct ID around here.

TLG - Posted - 04/05/2013: 13:25:34

77 means it was made in 1977
What model ?
C & D's had paper lables with the numbers like yours.
Is it nickel plated or gold ? Is there a series of letters & numbers stampted on the inside of the rim?
What does 'supposedly has a serial number' mean ? Is it not there anymore ?
Valus is determined by but not all : the model # ,condition, case, ect.
Need pics.
Tom

j2biggs - Posted - 04/05/2013: 14:32:10

Thanks for your comments. I say 'supposedly' because the numbers don't look like the serial numbers that I have seen on other posts...like #XXXX. But these are the numbers found : 9-77-16. . I don't have the banjo with me right at this moment to look any further but here are some preliminary photos. As you can see the case is well used...my late husband played this banjo a lot!

Thanks for all your help!

Baldwin ODE Case

Baldwin ODE 3

Baldwin ODE 2

Baldwin ODE 1

The Old Timer - Posted - 04/05/2013: 15:05:11

How nice! A gold plated Style D 'Baldwin'. They are listed at vintage dealers up to $3000+ depending on originality an especially the state of the gold plating. Very nice banjos and were considered by many the 'top of the line' in the early 1970s.

j2biggs - Posted - 04/05/2013: 15:10:21

Wow. Thanks Old Timer. I am shocked and amazed. Think I'll take more pictures of it. It's in great condition.

McUtsi - Posted - 04/05/2013: 15:56:24

Great banjo.McUtsi

dmiller - Posted - 04/05/2013: 18:27:59

Ode Banjo

quote:
Originally posted by j2biggs

I have a Baldwin ODE Banjo that supposedly has a serial number of 9-77-16. That seems odd to me. Can anyone tell me what it means? Age, value, etc?

9 - 77 -16 means it was built in September (9) of 1977 (77) and was the 16th banjo (16) made in that month of that year. Yes - - that's an Ode D, not a C model. Yours has both the Baldwin banner, as well as the word ODE in the peghead like mine does. Looks like you have the original engraved armrest, but the tailpiece isn't an orginal Ode tailpiece (which isn't a real big deal imo). Mine was made in 72, and the inlays are a bit thicker on the fingerboard than yours are. You've got a winner there!

Here's a picture of mine - - - -

dmiller - Posted - 04/05/2013: 20:19:54

I should have added (in the post above) that the tailpiece you have is an Oettinger (by the looks of it from the photo) which is a good, quality tailpiece, although not an original ODE tailpiece like you see on mine. The gold on the arm rest looks to be worn off (again from the photo), but that's pretty common.

The bridge you have on there is a compensated bridge that I've seen on quite a few banjos, but I don't know who makes them. It would be nice to see pictures of the back of the banjo (both peg head and resonator) to have a look at the tuning pegs and the grain of the wood. As for value - - that's kind of a 'crap shoot' these days given the economy the way it is. It is easily worth (as mentioned earlier by Old Timer) around $2,500 and then going up in price depending on condition.

The Baldwin ODE D price tag (several years ago) was $2,500 as the minimum price being asked, and they didn't stay on the market very long at all. These days they don't sell quite as quickly since folks don't have the money to spend like they did a while back, but the ODE still retains it's value. And they are still being 'looked for' by people who realize what a quality banjo the ODE is even though they haven't been made for 30 some years now.

f5loar - Posted - 04/05/2013: 21:07:04

For sure lots of miles on that D model. Does not have the last prop. inlay. I like it in the $2500 and would gladly pay that for it.

dmiller - Posted - 04/05/2013: 21:18:50

I remember either Britt or Stanger (I forget which now) once mentioned in a topic here on the BHO about how the propeller inlay on the 22nd fret got changed to the 'floral' inlay seen here, and when it happened. My memory's fuzzy on the year, but I'm thinking that the propeller inlay was changed to floral in the late 1960's. Mine's a '72, and it has the floral inlay (like the one from 1977 being asked about in the original post), even though the flange design has the propeller design that the 22nd fret propeller inlay was designed to match.

The flange design never changed, although the 22nd fret inlay did.

Baldwin Ode Banjo Serial Numbers List Printable

Edited by - dmiller on 04/05/2013 21:22:32

McUtsi - Posted - 04/06/2013: 00:25:50

The propeller re-emerged years later in the fingerboard of the OME

Juggernaut,common denominator:Mr Ogsbury,of course.McUtsi

TLG - Posted - 04/06/2013: 06:20:43

The tailpiece is a 'TENSIONATER'.
Sold by the Richelieu banjo co. A modern version of the single string finger Oettinger style.
Tommy

j2biggs - Posted - 04/06/2013: 11:07:24

Thanks all! You have convinced me to take more pics, which I will do and post later.

dmiller - Posted - 04/06/2013: 11:18:30

quote:
Originally posted by McUtsi

The propeller re-emerged years later in the fingerboard of the OME

Juggernaut, common denominator:Mr Ogsbury, of course. McUtsi

You're right. I've seen pictures of those on the OME F (I think that's the model?) and it puzzled me as to why they would put the propeller inlay on the OME since the propeller design doesn't match the flange design used for the OME banjos.

Tensionator - - Ah. Thanks TLG. Richeliu made quality banjos, and used the best parts for them.

TLG - Posted - 04/06/2013: 14:52:51

dmiller,
I think Richelieu got them from Germany. Now Goldtone sell them.
OME has a model with inlays almost like the ODE D, maby it'is the F model, can't remember.
Tommy

dmiller - Posted - 04/06/2013: 20:26:52

quote:
Originally posted by TLG

dmiller,
I think Richelieu got them from Germany. Now Goldtone sell them.
OME has a model with inlays almost like the ODE D, maby it'is the F model, can't remember.
Tommy

Yup - - the recent photo I've seen was (I thought) on an F model OME as I mentioned in the post right before yours that I quoted. After doing some checking, it looks like OME is also putting them on Juggernauts as well.

Regardless of the model they are putting them on, they still don't match the ODE style flange.

Here's a picture of Bobby Thompson's Baldwin:

Baldwin Ode Banjo Serial Numbers

The inlay on the 22nd fret matches the flange exactly.

Here's a picture of a newer Juggernaut (OME):

The propeller inlay 'don't in no way match' the design in the flange.

j2biggs - Posted - 04/07/2013: 10:56:20

Baldwin Ode Banjo Serial Numbers

As promised - more photos.

ODE banjo

j2biggs - Posted - 04/07/2013: 11:03:03

Baldwin Ode Banjo Serial Numbers List Printable

Thanks so much! I'm finding out lots about this gem! Your's is absolutely gorgeous, as you can see from my photos, my banjo has been played a lot but I think it is still in great condition.

Here's a picture of mine - - - -